QOC celebrates successful first year of Kun Riyadi with end of season festival

DOHA, May 01, 2018 – Doha, Qatar- Qatar's innovative Kun Riyadi (Be an Athlete) programme has concluded a successful first year of implementation with a celebratory festival hosted by the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOE). The first phase has seen more than a thousand students aged 0-7 years old from schools and nurseries across Qatar participate in sport in a joyful and supportive environment.Kun Riyadi is Qatar's unique Athlete Development Pathway (ADP) that aims to produce Qatar's future sporting champions by focusing on sports development at every stage from early childhood to post-retirement. The first phase, 'Quality' has been rolled out over the past school year and is directed at children up to the age of seven in nurseries and schools across Qatar. It aims to instil enjoyment and interest in sport from the earliest possible age through exploratory sessions.Commenting from the end of year festival, Secretary General of the QOC, H.E. Jassim Al Buenain said:“We are extremely pleased by the success of the first year of our Kun Riyadi programme and by the number of young children that have been introduced to the raw fun and enjoyment of sport. This is key to ensuring that children will continue to participate in sport with confidence long into the future. Our ambition is to continue introducing more children to more sports so that every school child in Qatar has the opportunity to participate and develop through sport. We thank all of our stakeholders and partners for their support in ensuring a successful start to the programme and we look forward to watching it continue to grow and prosper over the years ahead."Held in the Recreation Centre of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, the end of year festival saw schoolchildren demonstrate what they have learned over the school year with Team Qatar gymnasts Ahmed Nabeel and Jana Al Kiki and Team Qatar Swimmer Abdelaziz Al Obaidly, on hand to inspire the schoolchildren with their skillsCommenting on the end of year festival, Director of Sports Affairs at the Qatar Olympic Committee, Mr. Khaleel Al Jabir said:“Today was an opportunity to celebrate the end of a successful first year of our unique framework that aims to produce Qatari sporting champions. The first phase aims to develop motor skills that are useful for running, jumping and throwing later on in young athletes' lives and we have been able to see the positive impact that the programme has had on our young children. We are very proud of what it has achieved."Since its launch in October 2017, the 'Quality' phase of Kun Riyadi has been rolled out across three sports – gymnastics, athletics and swimming, supported by coaches from Qatar's national federations who supported schoolteachers in running fun and engaging lessons. Additionally, inspirational field trips to Qatar's state-of-the-art equestrian centre, Al Shaqab and the Lusail Shooting complex enabled schoolchildren to be educated in new sports in an engaging and practical way. The programme also helped break barriers by using sport as a tool to engage everyone in the society, including children with autism.It is expected that further national federations will be involved in the programme in the next academic year, including the Qatar Tennis Federation. The vision of Kun Riyadi is to expand and grow until eventually all schools and sports in Qatar are involved by 2022.Commenting on Kun Riyadi, participating Team Qatar gymnast Ahmed Nabeel said:“It is great to see that there are many great young talents who love gymnastics and love to explore the sport. The Kun Riyadi programme introduces children to sport from a very early age which in return leaves a positive impact on their lives. Through sport, children can try out new things, they learn the importance of hard work, commitment and fair play and it builds on their passion."Qatar Foundation's (QF) Pre-University Education (PUE) has been an active and effective partner in the roll out of the programme, with two of its schools participating in the first phase and by providing its facilities to host the end of year festival. As an act of gratitude and appreciation for their support, the QOC presented the equipment and tools used for the athletics activities to QF's PUE to use in their own educational programmes.Mrs. Abeer Al-Khalifa, Executive Director of Academic Affairs, PUE, QF, commented saying:“We're proud that our students are taking part in such a great initiative. 'Kun Riyadi' aims to inspire interest in physical education at a young age amongst students, as well as teaching them to adopt the constructive values that come along with it like teamwork, cooperation and social unity; those are the values we are keen to encourage and instill in our students' education as well as in their upbringing. At PUE, we're always happy to support such initiatives as they are the embodiment of QF's vision of Unlocking Human Potential, and we will continue providing each and every student with the opportunities they need to reach their full potential."The Qatar ADP is a five-stage model that provides a comprehensive framework for developing skills at critical periods in an athlete's development from early childhood to post-retirement. The next phases after Quality see participants aged 8-12 develop a foundation of different skills to serve them in a range of sports, before a tailored programme is provided specific to children's individual needs from 13-18 years of age.At 19, tailored practice, training, competition, and recovery regimes and provided ensuring that athletes maximise their potential. The final stage of development ensures that athletes remain active after their careers and impart their knowledge and experience to future generations participating in the pathway. Athletes can enter this stage at any age depending on whether they decide to revert to playing sport at a recreational level or remain in the professional sphere as a coach or official.The ADP was launched in November 2016 by the QOC and Aspire Academy, and was a result of a three-year project involving the input of multiple stakeholders, sporting entities and world-class sport development experts from the Aspire Academy to create a framework unique for Qatar. Led by the QOC, it enables Qatar to have a fully unified approach producing future Qatari sporting champions, with the involvement of Qatar's National Federations, Aspire Academy, Ministry of Education and all stakeholders and sporting entities.

Al Rayyan, Al Arabi set up thrilling Emir Cup Semifinals

DOHA, May 01, 2018 - A thrilling volleyball feast is on the cards as defending champions Al Rayyan Club set up the Emir Cup semi-final showdown with 21-time winners Al Arabi Club on Monday.At the Qatar Volleyball Association Indoor Hall, nine-time winners Al Rayyan Club blew away the challenge of Al Wakrah Club in 66 minutes, with French star Earvin N'Gapeth leading them to a 25-19, 25-14, 25-12 triumph.In a similar whirlwind fashion, Al Arabi Club made it to the last stage with a 25-16, 25-13, 25-16 triumph in one hour over Al Khor Club.Both Al Rayyan Club and Al Arabi Club had played the last year's final and will clash over a best-of-three-match format. The other semi-final, which is also expected to be a hot affair, pits Qatar Sports Club against Al Ahli Club.Al Arabi Club did not field their new Dutch pro Nimir Abdel-Aziz and instead continued with Artur Udria. The Belarusian collected a game-high 15 points and spearheaded the winners to an easy victory.In all the three sets, Al Arabi were head and shoulder above than the rivals, leading 21-13 in the opening set, 21-11 in the second and 21-14 in the third before wrapping up the match in 60 minutes.Middle player Bassam added 12 points, Renan Rebeiro got 10 and Jorge nette nine for Al Arabi, who have played 29 finals so far. For Al Khor, Renato was the leading contributor with 13.Al Rayyan Club, who were back to full strength after both William Bermudez and Mubarak Dahi Waleed served eight-match bans, faced some spirited resistance from Al Wakrah Club in the first set as they were 21-17 ahead. But they allowed only two more points and clinched the set to go 1-0 up.After that, Al Rayyan Club clicked into higher gears and quickly disposed of the rivals to complete the win. N'Gapeth was among three players who secured points in double digits for the winners.N'Gapeth, twice Most Valuable Player in the World League, had two aces and three blocks in 16 points. Marcus earned 13, while Bilal notched up 10.For Al Wakrah, no player could enter double digits. Nikola was the best scorer with nine, while Vetkovic and Soka followed him with eight and seven points, respectively.The semi-finals are scheduled on May 3 and 5 and in case, the winners are not decided, it will continue on May 8.

Qatari Rugby Women's Team Win First West Asian Championship Title

BEIRUT, April 30, 2018 - The Qatari Rugby women's team won the first West Asian Championship, held in Lebanon with the participation of Syria and Lebanon.The Qatari women won the title after beating Lebanon 12-7 in the final, to make the first achievement for women's rugby.After the success of the first edition of the tournament, the West Asian Women's Championship was adopted to be held annually, with the Qatari women's winning the first championship title.The Qatar Rugby Men's Team also won the third place and bronze medal at the West Asian Men's Championship in Lebanon after beating Jordan in the third and fourth place in the tournament Iran, Lebanon and Jordan in addition to the Qatari team.Yousif Jahm Al-Kuwari, President of Qatar Rugby, Hockey and Cricket Federation expressed pleasure at the achievements of the national teams. At the level of rugby, the women won their first title, the first West Asian Championship, in their first participation.

Exclusive opportunity to meet Olympic and world champions announced as world’s best athletes descend on Doha

DOHA, Qatar, April 30, 2018 - Doha, Qatar: Anticipation is rising with just five days to go until global superstar athletes go head to head in a thrilling Diamond League season opener at Qatar Sports Club on Friday 4th May. In the build-up, Qatari public are being given an exclusive, unique and free opportunity on Thursday 3rd May to meet a number of the World's best athletes ahead of their competition, including Qatar's 2017 IAAF World Athlete of the Year Mutaz Barshim, Kenya's 3000m World Champion Hellen Obiri and Greece's pole vault legend Katerina Stefanidi.Further athlete announcements have also been made today with a thrilling showdown anticipated in the Men's 200m. Reigning World Champion, Ramil Guliyev of Turkey, goes up against Olympic silver medallist Andre De Grasse of Canada, 2017 Diamond League Champion Noah Lyles of the USA, and World bronze medallist Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago. However, the biggest surprise could come from Omar McLeod of Jamaica, who is the Olympic and World Champion in the 110m hurdles but will be trying his hand at the 200m in Doha in an intriguing switch.Speaking ahead of the 2018 Doha Diamond League, President of the Qatar Athletics Federation, Dr Thani Abdulrahman Al Kuwari, said:“We are so excited to welcome so many of the World's biggest athletics stars back to Doha for what promises to be a phenomenal Diamond League opening meeting of the 2018 season. The Doha Diamond League is the only IAAF Diamond League meeting in the Middle East and is one of the most exciting and unmissable sporting events hosted annually in Qatar. It is our ambition to use this event to engage and inspire our nation through athletics and we are very pleased to be able to give the public this exclusive chance to meet Olympic and World Champions ahead of their competitions. We encourage everyone to come down and not miss out on this unique opportunity!"On Thursday 3rd May at 11:30am, public are invited to join a press conference and panel session with a multitude of Olympic and World medallists on the first floor of City Center Mall, which is open to everyone to attend for free. The repeat of last year's hugely successful press conference will enable the public to be at the front and centre of the action, hearing from the athletes first hand as well as being able to get selfies and autographs afterwards. The event will be hosted by athletes MCs Jenny Simpson of the USA, who is the reigning 1500m World silver medallist and Olympic bronze medallist and will be competing in the longer distance of 3000m in Doha, and 200m sprinter Nathaneel Mitchell-Blake from Great Britain, who is the World 4x100m Champion and U20 Champion in the 200m from 2013.Joining them on stage for the panel session will be Qatar's sporting hero, 2017 World Champion, Diamond League Champion and World Athlete of the year Mutaz Barshim, reigning Olympic, World, European and Diamond League Champion Katerina Stefanidi of Greece, reigning World Champion and Olympic silver medallist in the 5000m and Doha Diamond League record holder in the 3000m Hellen Obiri of Kenya, two-time Olympic Champion, three-time World Champion and six-time Diamond League Champion Christian Taylor of the USA, reigning Olympic Champion Thomas Röhler of Germany, who last year wowed the crowds as he broke the Doha Diamond League record and moved to second on the all-time list with a huge throw of 93.30m.The final 2018 Doha Diamond League athlete announcements come in the Men's 1500m, where the stand-out athlete to watch could be 17-year-old rising star George Manangoi of Kenya, who is the Under 18 World Champion and talented younger brother of World Champion Elijah Manangoi. Last year George won the U18 title by over a second, despite having only trained seriously for a little over a year, and this year he has already run a new personal best time of 3:36.20 suggesting a very promising future for the youngster. He will be up against many more experienced athletes including Bethwell Birgen, the 2018 World Indoor bronze medallist also of Kenya, and Abdelaati Iguider of Morocco, the 2012 World Indoor Champion, London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist and Beijing 2015 World bronze medallist.Team Qatar will be represented in the Diamond League by a total of 16 athletes, including Abdellelah Haroun, who is the 2017 World bronze medallist in the 400m, Abderrahaman Samba, who recently ran a World-lead time of 47.89 in the 400m hurdles, and Ahmed Bader, who is the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games Champion in the javelin.Speaking ahead of the competition, Samba said:“I recently participated in a training camp in South Africa, which prepared me very well. I hold the world-lead time for this year and I feel ready for the upcoming season. I am very happy to represent Qatar in the Doha Diamond League and it is my ambition to retain my title and to further improve my world-lead time."Meanwhile, Haroun said:“My pre-season training was non-stop and very tough but it paid off as I started off the year very well by winning the Asian Indoor title for the second time. I am very proud to be representing my country again this year in the Doha Diamond League and I hope that I will achieve a strong result for our home-crowd."This year's Doha Diamond League will take place on Friday 4th May from 5-9pm at Qatar Sports Club. Tickets can be bought online now https://bit.ly/2GVnHqN. Don't miss the action and stay up to date with all news in the build-up to the event via the Diamond League website and social media channels.

Qatar’s Hassouna wins gold medal in Asian Youth Weightlifting Championship

UZBEKISTAN, April 30, 2018 – Qatar's Faris Hassona confidently made great achievement for Qatar by claiming three gold medals for Qatar in the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championship on Sunday.The 19 - year old Qatari weightlifter sparkled and made impressive performance in the 95kg event to claim three gold medals in the prestigious event that brought together top weightlifters from Iran, China, Japan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.The event acts as a qualifying tournament to the 2018 IWF Youth World Championships will take place in Argentina in October.

Qatar youngsters to participate in Gymnasiade

​DOHA, April 30, 2018 – Qatar will participate in the upcoming the 17th edition of Gymnasiade (Olympics for youngsters) scheduled to take place from 2-8 May in Marrakech of Morocco.Qatar delegation to the prestigious event is headed by Mr. Abdulrahman Al Moftah, the executive director of Qatar School Sports Federation.This major school sport event organised by International School Sport Federation (ISF), whose main motto is “Education through sport", will gather young students from all around the world to experience the spirit of international competition, fair play, friendship and cultural diversity